


tag (you're it)

by raindropwaltz



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Gen, Maybe i'll do more of these, Secret Relationship, TROS Fix-It Fic, author refuses to take tros as canon, but only a specific part for the majority, consider this a oneshot rewriting the movie a bit, it's been a year jj stop acting like they just met, kind of at least, only if it had actually been coordinated like some of us were speculating, rey & ben are actually trying to work together, secret meetings, that scene where rey is doing a sick backflip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22194052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raindropwaltz/pseuds/raindropwaltz
Summary: it's kind of like a game by now--like a game of tag, across star systems, with only two players and a whole lot of unsuspecting participants.or:what if That Scene had actually been them working together.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 73





	tag (you're it)

It was a stroke of pure luck that the Festival of the Ancestors was taking place that day of all days. Of course there was sure to be First Order presence—but just so, there was sure to be Resistance presence as well; but any presence at _all_ would certainly be present, if anywhere on the desert planet, at the festival.

That logic was good enough for Ben when Rey popped into view this time (and it was quite a ‘pop’ at that; she’d materialized right next to him in the cockpit of his Silencer, and nearly sent him spinning into the closest planetary system) and explained that her new colorful accessories were because of this party they’d found themselves mingling into. ‘They’ being Finn, Poe, Chewie, Threepio and BB-8, she explained further, and they were all supposed to be there to find one Lando Calrissian. Ben had quirked a brow at this.  
“Pasaana? Really? Didn’t ever expect him to be holed up on a rock like that…” But Rey had shrugged.  
“Who knows if he’s even here. But…the others are distracted enough, and I think there’s something else here.” She sounded quietly hopeful, eyeing him now, “I could use some help, if the Supreme Leader can spare some time.”  
“He can.” She suppressed a grin at this. Somehow he always seemed to be able to spare time when she asked, “Get me coordinates and I’ll be there.” She grinned at him, sending him the coordinates they'd used to get there themselves.  
"Tag," she teased, "You're it."

He took a little longer than expected. They managed to not only find Lando but also find the ship they’d wanted his help in finding beyond that plus the remains of its old owner and a strange dagger (with…some minor complications) and were now poking around the old craft. Rey was feeling something strange from the ship and the dagger they’d taken with them, and by now she knew this _had_ to be what she was sensing before and she wanted Ben to show up just so she could mention this all to him, at least. He would, she knew. He always did. This definitely wasn’t just an excuse to see him. That was absurd AND bold, wasn’t it? Especially with the others so close by…

But then, who was she kidding?

She turned to the viewport at the helm of the ship as Ben’s energy came steadily into her physical periphery. They’d done more daring meets than this one in the past year. It was nerve-wracking at first, trying to meet up without detection, but things had become much easier once they’d realized they could just say they were fighting because they were, of course, sworn enemies that sensed each other in the Force and had to do battle whenever they found each other—which made sense, since Kylo Ren was her nemesis. That was what nemeses _did_. The two of them just...were very conveniently evenly matched, that was all.  
Rey excused herself from inside, told the others she’d just be a minute, and hopped down from the small ridge the craft was parked on. Walking out into the barren basin below, squinting into the sunlight, she probed for his energy. He was in-atmosphere now, but—

Her lips formed an amused line across her face. That idiot.   
_What are you doing?_ She snorts into his head, and can hear the smirk on his face.  
 _Nothing you can’t handle, right?_  
Raising an eyebrow, Rey unclipped the lightsaber from her belt and took a deep breath, settling into a stance and focusing on him, prepping for what he was about to do.  
 _Nothing I can’t handle._

Poe and Finn looked outside just in time to watch Rey get into a strange stance, like she was anticipating something.  
“What’s she doing?” Poe wondered aloud, brow knitting as Finn shook his head and continued to watch his friend worriedly.  
“I don’t know—something’s weird about this. It's like she's waiting for something.” Their answer came zooming into view just as Finn finished his sentence.

A TIE Silencer came speeding down into the gorge from the far end, hardly slowing even as it made a steady course for Rey. Finn’s shout from inside the old ship was cut off as suddenly Rey took off running, lightsaber in hand, straight ahead rather than trying to dodge the oncoming fighter.

Rey sprinted forward, building her momentum rather than trying to do something as stupid as outrun Ben’s Silencer; he’d slowed enough for this and the second he was at the exact range she’d been waiting for, Rey took a deep breath and launched herself into the air, smirking at the amusement she felt from the ship’s pilot. She backflipped midair and managed to sink her saber blade into the wing of the ship closest to her for a hold, wedging herself between it and the cockpit and firmly planting her feet on the spherical cabin as the ship flew on.  
 _All right, pull over or I’ll have to use some force,_ Rey smirked and hung on, already feeling the ship slowing some.  
 _‘Pull over’? What are you, a cop?_ Ben jabbed back, hanging an abrupt left and nearly dislodging Rey’s hold. _It’s gonna take more than that, Scavenger._ Rey let out a startled shout when he jolted her, but the move just made her laugh and dig her heels in further.  
 _Careful, Supreme Leader—it’d be a shame if something happened to this ship—_ He swung right this time and Rey’s blade was loosed—but this just made her dig it into the cabin’s hull, dragging across the hatch and making Ben hunch down inside even if he was (mostly) out of harm’s way. The TIE slowed and Rey planted her feet again, deciding to just go all the way and using the saber’s momentum to carve her own opening in the TIE’s cabin. Ben craned his head to look up at her as she grinned toothily down at him, loose hair whipping around her face in the sunlight.  
“Is this enough to get you to hit the brakes?”

She realized a millisecond (and an incredibly cocky smirk from him) too late that this was the wrong thing to say.

Ben did in fact hit the brakes. Rey went flying through the air and tumbling onto the ground ahead of his ship as he finally did land; luckily she’d managed to break her fall enough that she did a few somersaults until her final skid over the dust was gentle enough that all she had was some dirt to brush off of herself when she got to her feet, spitting out more grit and shaking her clothes out.  
“You _womp rat_!” she shouted, coughing a little and trying not to laugh, especially now that Supreme Leader Kylo Ren was out of his ship and laughing as he headed towards her.  
“Drop something, Scavenger?” he waved the lightsaber at her, brow arching as he smirked. Rey yanked it out of his grasp with the Force even though he continued up to her, making a face and still smiling in spite of herself.  
“Very funny.”  
“You think so.” He quipped at her, lips quirking up. Rey just shook her head fondly, clipping her saber hilt again.  
“All right, you ready to actually cooperate now?”  
“Was that not cooperating—“  
“Don’t say it—“  
“—I did _exactly_ what you asked, you know.” Rey groaned, but they both laughed at this before she glanced at his now-very-damaged ship.  
“You’re not flying that thing back out of here now. Had to be difficult, didn’t you?”  
“As if there’s no other way off this planet for me.” 

Rey looked up, studying his face a bit more seriously. There was so much she could say—so much she wanted to say, right then—but she let out a soft breath, turning to look out at the desert beyond them.  
“I found something strange,” she said finally, “You took long enough; we found Lando—“  
“He really was here?” Ben marveled some at this, but Rey continued,  
“— _and_ a ship. It belonged to a Jedi Hunter,” her brow furrowed, “and so did the dagger we found with his body. I don’t know what these things mean, but I feel something…something terrible from them both.” Ben took a half step closer to her, tilting his head some to look down at her and frowning.  
“A dagger?”  
“Threepio said the inscription on it was in Sith.” Ben’s surprise at this was visible immediately.  
“Sith—“ She looked up at him suddenly.  
“Ben, we were supposed to find this to try and find Exegol, but that’s not what’s bothering me about it. I don’t know what it is, but I feel such terrible, _dark_ energy from that dagger, like it’s directed at me specifically.”  
“At you?” his frown deepened. “But how?”  
“I don’t know. Even the ship felt familiar, but—“

Rey cut herself off, head whipping about to scan the nearby ridge. Ben stilled beside her before following her gaze.  
“I feel it too. Time’s up, looks like.” Rey turned to him quickly, her voice quiet and imploring.  
“You could come with us,” she tried, not for the first time. His eyes studied hers for a long moment.  
“No,” he shook his head, “I can’t. Take the dagger, see if you can translate it. If I can, I’ll take a look—“  
“—Ben, _please_ —“ He rested a hand on her shoulder, his eyes steady on hers.  
“I can’t, Rey.” His free hand went for his lightsaber, and she found hers almost in unison. Already they’d started backing away from each other. “Give them a good show,” he offered a little grin, but she couldn’t return it.

Their blades were locked as Ochi’s old ship came sputtering towards them, and Rey grit her teeth, pressing at Ben’s hold until the ramp of the ship was opening and Finn was shouting at her to run and hop on. Ben was the one to break their stance, acting as if she’d pushed him back and giving her the slightest nod, as always.  
 _Tag,_ he sent as Finn clasped her wrist and helped pull her up onto the ship, and Rey shot Ben an aggravated last look. His expression was one of rage, but it didn’t reach his eyes, not when he looked at her. _You're 'it' now, Rey,_ he sent, and Poe shot them offplanet as fast as he could get the ship to go.  
 _Good luck finding a ride, Supreme Leader,_ she snapped back at him irritably, but he let it go.

Now wasn’t the time. Not yet.


End file.
